Catenanuova

Catenanuova is a small rural town in the Province of Enna, set in the Dittaino Valley among wheat fields and low inland landscapes. Lying on flat ground near the Dittaino river, at about 170 metres above sea level, it has the character of an agricultural Sicilian settlement shaped by cereal cultivation, parish life and the rhythms of the surrounding countryside.

Its identity is closely tied to its planned 18th-century foundation. The town was established between 1727 and 1733 in the feudal estate of Melinventre by Prince Andrea Giuseppe Riggio-Statella, with straight streets laid out as the settlement began to take form. The name is traditionally linked to Aci Catena and to the noble family’s title, although the exact wording of its origin is not entirely consistent in the sources.

Later growth in the 19th century turned the original feudal settlement into a fuller town, while wartime and postwar changes added further layers to its story. What makes Catenanuova distinctive is this combination of planned noble foundation, open valley setting and a still-visible agricultural memory centred on Sicily’s inland wheat country.